HELP! I'm trying to decide between staying at the Garden Isle Ranch (www.gardenisleranch.com)on the north shore--with NO air conditioning . . . OR . . . Kauai Waterfall B&B (www.kauaiwaterfall.com), on the Coconut Coast -- which also has NO air conditioning, but is supposedly at a higher elevation and is presumably cooler. I'll be there in August and am afraid it'll be too hot to sleep comfortably.

I'm nervous about the north shore weather--but love the idea of it being more lush. Are the rains in August typically brief? I just wouldn't want all-day downpours.

I'll have been staying close to the Coconut Coast at a music festival (before the vacation part of the trip) so I waas thinking it might be nice to stay in a different part of the island.

Any suggestions would be GREATLY appreciated.

Thanks! jb

Hi jb –

I stayed on the North Shore at the end of August 2005, and it was HOT. Our condo had air conditioning only in the bedrooms. In the afternoon, the other areas were VERY uncomfortable even with all the windows open. The couple in the unit next door had no air conditioning which made it unbearable. Perhaps it was just the location of the Villas of Kamali’i that made it so hot. The local residents may have more insight on this. Anyway, I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the north shore, but would never consider staying there in August without air conditioning in some part of the house. Sorry, I don't have any info on the other location.

IMHO, I wouldn’t worry about the rain in August – just passing showers.

Good luck on your search!!!

Actually, both of these places are at similar elevation -- so if it's hot (and August tends to be one of our hotter months), you'll feel it no matter where you stay on our island. Most vacation rental places accommodate visitors by supplying additional room fans, on request.

As for rains, we've entered our dry period now -- intermittent daytime showers, but most rain comes during the night. Here on the northshore we _finally_ got some rain this week, after two weeks of dust (unusual for our area!). Rain is great in the summer -- cools us down, and keeps our northshore lush 'n tropical. 8-)

Have fun at the Kaua`i Music Festival!

We stayed in a cottage in Hanalei in July/August without a/c and were acutally comfortable because of the trade winds and the cieling fans. What's important is the place's oreintation to the breezes and the exposure to the sun. Many condos and such have samller windows and poor "flowthrough" ventilation. The place we stayed was an older plantation cottage with high cielings, a big covered porch, had big windows to capture the winds and trees planted around to provide shade in the heat of the day.

-Bill

The North Shore is the BEST! We traveled from the East Coast a couple years in a row before we decided we needed to buy. We bought a condo two years ago at Emmalani Court in Princeville (short walk from the Princeville Hotel). Our unit is two bedroom/two bathroom with 9 foot ceilings, ceiling fans in the kitchen, living room, and both bedrooms. There is a large air conditioner in the living/dining room. Princeville is high on cliffs and there always seems to be a breeze. Also - strange as it sounds, be careful about the building materials. Cement holds the heat something fierce and the condos built in a cement building tend to stay very warm in the evening. Also check out the locatation and make sure that there is enough ventilation around the buildings. Some buildings are situated lower and therefore you don't feel the breezes as well.

Good luck in your quest! I'll be out there in July for a couple weeks. I can't wait.